IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS - QUOTES AND ANALYSIS (continued)

The role of detective in the novel shifts from Judge Ford to Turtle Wexler after the Westing game seems to end for everyone else. We see this happen when Turtle begins to accumulate the discrepancies about her friend Sandy McSouthers after his death:

Turtle almost smiled. That Theo thinks he's so smart; well, Sandy showed him, Sandy beat him at chess. But Sandy didn't play chess. And she never kicked him either. Bucktoothed Barney Northrup was the one she kicked, not Sandy. But Sandy had the sore shin. Bucktoothed, chip-toothed, the crooked false teeth in the dentist's office (Sandy's dentist). "Cheer up, my friend, the game's not over. You still can win. I hope you do." Those were the last words Sandy said to her. He winked when he said that. Winked! One eye winked! Dead Sandy had winked at her!

Sandy had winked! (156)

The list of clues are linked together for the reader's ease, but also to show the chain of reasoning as it slowly dawns on Turtle. Finally she puts together the wink when Sandy encourages her to the last twitch of his eye as he "died" - this convinces her that the game is not yet over and has her search for the rest of the clues and hold a mock trial with the remaining heirs. As the mock trial in Judge Ford's apartment begins, readers are given this perspective:

Judge Ford rapped for silence with the walnut gavel presented to her by associates on her appointment to a higher court. Higher court? This was the lowest court she had ever presided at: a thirteen-year-old lawyer, a court stenographer who records in Polish, and the judge in African robes. Oh well, she had played Sam Westing's game, now she........

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